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Great boat for smaller paddlers. I am 6'1, 195 lbs, and while I do fit in this kayak, getting in and out can be pretty tight, and I feel very top-heavy while paddling. That being said, the Sonoma is very quick, lightweight, and tracks well for a sub-14' boat. There is enough volume in the Sonoma's rear hatch to fit gear for an overnight if you pack light enough, but this is definitely not a good kayak for longer trips or expeditions.

I have both the carbon and fiberglass versions of Aquabound's Sting Ray paddle, and out of the flatwater paddles I've tried, it is easily the best. the Sting Ray carbon is lightweight, versatile, and ergonomic while still remaining very durable. I have owned this paddle for almost exactly a year and have taken it on sea kayaking expeditions on Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, river trips on the upper Mississippi and lower Wisconsin, and have used it to chop through ice this past winter. It has met or exceeded expectations in everything I've used it on, and still looks pretty new. Overall I would definitely recommend this and any other Aquabound paddle as you get your money's worth.

I've owned my Blazer 16 in Kevlar 49 layup for a little under a year now, and have used it for multi-night river trips, fishing, backcountry lake hopping/tripping, and even a short excursion on Lake Michigan. I honestly really like this boat, the only reason I rated it four stars rather than five is that, when paddling solo, the Blazer's tracking leaves some to be desired. I've read other reviews on the internet that claim that once you near the boat's rated carrying capacity, its performance and tracking decreases substantially but I haven't experienced that yet (although admittedly I have no idea why anyone would be bringing enough gear to get close to capacity in the first place). When canoe shopping, I was looking for a lightweight canoe that could handle 4-5 day trips for myself or myself and my girlfriend without breaking the bank. I came across the Mohawk Blazer for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $300 USD and it has definitely been worth every penny.

Great boat for smaller paddlers. I am 6'1, 195 lbs, and while I do fit in this kayak, getting in and out can be pretty tight, and I feel very top-heavy while paddling. That being said, the Sonoma is very quick, lightweight, and tracks well for a sub-14' boat. There is enough volume in the Sonoma's rear hatch to fit gear for an overnight if you pack light enough, but this is definitely not a good kayak for longer trips or expeditions.